Road safety rules for driving in fog
Heavy fog or smoke limits visibility of all road users, which somewhat affects visibility and increases the risk of traffic crashes. What should be noted in such weather conditions to ensure safe driving? The following road safety rules can help you “fight” with fog and smoke when traveling on the road.
Drivers really need to follow road safety rules to be able to control the vehicle through this difficult journey. Because fog is not simply a weather phenomenon, it is also a ‘hidden death’ on the streets
Heavy fog or smoke limits visibility of all road users, which somewhat affects visibility and increases the risk of traffic crashes. What should be noted in such weather conditions to ensure safe driving? The following road safety rules can help you “fight” with fog and smoke when traveling on the road. Foggy road driving has many dangers related to life. Therefore, it requires drivers to have many years of experience and excellent driving skills to be able to calmly handle unexpected situations. The erratic weather changes during the day cause the air humidity to lose the balance, leading to fog. The fog usually occurs around spring and winter. The fog is most dense in the early morning and late afternoon turns to night.
Difficulties and potential dangers in driving foggy roads
In fact, there are many tragic accidents that occur because the driver has limited visibility but cannot handle it. For example, the catastrophic accident caused by the fog in 1990 in Tennessee, USA caused 54 casualties, or the accident involving 200 cars in Alabama with the number of casualties up to 91 people
However, with the growing infrastructure architecture, as well as the car manufacturers focus on equipping a series of modern features for cars. So, it can modify anxiety and pressure from drivers when driving in foggy roads.
1. Priority road safety rules – Clearly define the route
The fog is most dense in the early morning and late afternoon, so if there is nothing important, it’s best not to drive at this time.
If you have to move in times of dense fog, the driver need to clearly identify the most convenient and safest route. Ideally, the driver can see more weather forecasts to be more active in a bad situation such as fog with rain, whirlwinds …
2. Check the vehicle carefully – one of the most necessary road safety rules
Whether driving for long distances or traveling for short distances, drivers should check all the details of the vehicle before departing. This is an extremely useful driving experience that any rider should remember.
Especially, driving on a foggy road, unfavorable conditions for visibility as well as a slippery surface that easily occurs slippery. Therefore, the driver must check more carefully in accident.
Check the seat belt, the car lights, brake, horn, the wipers on the car, the tires, the air conditioning system, gasoline, engine and basic function buttons in car.
In particular, the driver should pay special attention to the car light system. In addition, to supporting the driver’s vision, this is also important for vehicles traveling in the opposite direction to recognize each other in a dense foggy space.
3. High concentration
Focusing on driving, not distracted like listening to music, turning on DVDs, talking on the phone … Because the cost of not concentrating on driving is too expensive. The driver should always observe the display to get a clear understanding of the situation.
4. Slow speeds
Drivers need to slow down to observe well and be able to handle unexpected situations in a timely manner. Maintaining a steady speed, avoid sudden acceleration / deceleration, affect the vehicles ahead or move behind, and also endanger yourself. Do not brake suddenly, avoid the risk of slipping, overturning due to slippery roads.
5. Stay in the right lane, limit overtaking
When traveling on a difficult road like a fog road, drivers have to obey the traffic rules more than ever. Stay in the right lane, limit overtaking, if you want to pass, you need to turn on a signal and hold the signal for a long time enough for surrounding vehicles to recognize.
6. Keep a safe distance from other vehicles
Mist always contains unexpected dangers that if there is not enough time, the driver will not be able to handle it in time. Ideally, always keep your distance from the vehicle ahead of you in normal weather conditions. ‘Care is never redundant!’ – That is what experienced automotive experts always share with drivers.
7. Use lights properly
One of the road safety rules to drive on foggy roads is to use lights properly. Accordingly, the low beam mode should be used instead of the headlight mode. The driver should use headlights, the light will bounce back when encountering water vapor in the fog, making it harder for the driver to see. While using the low-light mode, the light in close range helps the driver to see more clearly, combined with reasonable speed adjustment, the journey will take place gently.
If the fog gets thicker, the driver can turn on the rear fog lights and the emergency lights so that surrounding vehicles can see their position more clearly.
If the job is constantly moving in foggy conditions, the owner needs to install additional fog lights in front of the vehicle. Or you can also manually “transform” the fog lamp by pasting the headlight with a transparent yellow plastic sheet. Scientific research shows that yellow light is really good for the driver’s vision in foggy roads.
8. Don’t forget road safety rules – Drying the windshield
Mist is an accumulation of water vapor, when the air humidity is high, it will cause small rain. Therefore, it causes the windshield to accumulate a lot of water, forming a barrier that affects the driver’s observation. Drivers need to start the wiper on the car and turn on the glass drying mode.
9. Stop if the fog is too dense
When the weather turns so bad, the driver should not be reckless to try to continue. Find a safe parking space, stop for a while to check the situation. Remember, when looking for a parking space, you need to turn on your lights to let vehicles behind you recognize and then slowly cross the side of the road.
Again drivers need to be very careful about this, not to stop suddenly, or suddenly pull over to the side of the road so that the vehicles behind you cannot handle it.
Before each trip, if the foggy conditions are too dense, don’t risk the lives of yourself and those around you, consider postponing the journey. At the same time, make it a habit to carefully plan and prepare essential items for each long trip.
Just with high concentration, a steady mentality and some important road safety rules, the drivers will possess excellent fog driving skills. Making the journey smoothly and guaranteed.
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